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MAP Out | A Period of Deep Strategic Planning

We have important news that we’re both excited and nervous to share: in a couple weeks, MAP will be taking a step back from external work to focus on developing the organizational form that will allow us to be stronger for our movements for years to come. 

Starting February 22, Movement Alliance Project is putting all our program work on pause for a transformational period we’re calling the ‘MAPOut.’ We will be mapping out the future of our organization with rigor and focus–but that will also require that we are ‘out’ and not engaging in external work. 

This comes on the heels of a multi-year organizational process to establish our new identity as Movement Alliance Project and a tumultuous year of unrest, struggle and change for everyone in 2020. While our movement has undeniably grown more coherent, and gained more capacity to impact local and national policy, we need to be far more effective at supporting organizations and movement leaders to work collectively to win for the long term. During this unprecedented period, we’ve run from sprint to sprint and campaign to campaign, on everything from internet access to defunding the police. In the midst of so much rapid response, we haven’t been able to take the time to make sure our organizational form follows our function.  

The MAPOut was designed to help us take the time we need to do the work of building capacity for our movements more effectively.  Beginning February 22, 2021, we will take a break from participating in coalition work or organizing on any of our projects. We also will be taking a break from social media and public engagement – as we joke about it inside our virtual office, “no tweeting, no meeting!”  We will start ramping back into external work and movement support starting in the late spring. 

We know important things will come up while we are gone – a crucial election, the budget cycle, and things we can’t quite predict yet. We are stepping out at this time so we can be in these and future fights with you all for years to come. 

Thank you for supporting us through this exciting time. We can’t wait to come back with fresh eyes, a clearer strategy, and a plan to build the long term power we need to win.

With gratitude,

The Whole MAP team
Bryan, Clarise, Devren, Hannah, Helyx, Jacob, Jenessa, Mariam, Shari, Sophie, Zoraida

FAQ – Got questions? 

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions

MAP and its organizers have been so grateful to learn so much about campaigning, movement building, and power with and from all of you over the past many years. But here’s the truth: We can’t win the dignity and respect Philadelphians need unless our movement is stronger, and making plans to coordinate for power for years to come.  We’re taking these weeks away from external work to dig into what we can do to help make that movement stronger, and to support our movement for years to come. We believe in all of us, and our best service at this time is to plan to win long term, generational power.  That means, for us at MAP, stepping out of rapid response for a short period so we are arraying ourselves better for that long term. 

No – please don’t reach out to us during this time!  We know that might seem hard, but we know you and your work will thrive even during our brief absence.  We are trying to invest this time in planning and research and study and reflection now so we can be of best service to our larger movement for years to come.  We’ll have vacation responder emails that can help you think about how to get the support you need in our absence.

In the late spring, we will move from a “full hiatus” to a “partial hiatus” while we’re finishing our strategic planning process. This means we will be slowly ramping our work back up full speed during this period. We will keep everyone updated on when we’re fully back in action this summer. 

We’ve never done this before and will likely have many lessons on what comes from this! Stay tuned for more on how we might be ready to share from this process when we’re back in the late Spring. 

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Movement Alliance Project works to build a healthy movement ecosystem where organizations succeed in making transformational social change. We collaborate with organizations and alliances to develop strategy, collectivize the administrative capacity emerging projects need, and convene groups to deepen the interconnection and solidarity within and across sectors of organizing.

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